Present day retailers use RFID tags, such as UHF RFID tags, to identify items, and there are many dedicated hand-held RFID readers available in the market. Many RFID readers are inherently bulky thus convenience to the mobile user is drastically reduced.
Some handheld devices come with an integrated RFID reader to enable RFID functionality. However, convenience to the mobile user is reduced by the inability to detach the RFID reader even when the user does not require the RFID functionality. On the other hand, some manufacturers produce detachable RFID readers, but only to support a limited number of mobile computing devices.
Dedicated RFID readers and handheld devices with integrated RFID readers are quite expensive, since significant effort has to be put into the design to manage the inherent bulkiness.
What is needed is a generic RFID reader that can function across a large range of computing devices including mobile computing devices without customization or with minimal customization.